The putrid smell of rotting meat permeates Jongin's nostrils as Kyungsoo sets the plate of grilled steak in front of him. The meat looks tender and juicy, drizzled with a viscous sauce that Kyungsoo concocted earlier making the dish much more aesthetically pleasing, not to mention appetizing. Well not to Jongin. The tenderloin might cause another person's mouth to water but Jongin feels nauseous everytime he takes a whiff of their dinner. He diverts his attention to Kyungsoo instead, who at the moment is humming to himself as he prepares the the utensils. He smiles when he catches Kyungsoo's eye and the latter blushes red and almost drops the plate he was holding. "I'll be there in a minute!" Kyungsoo squeaks as he bustles off to retrieve the other dishes.

Jongin tilts his chair back, effectively avoiding most of the pungent smell coming from the plate in front of him. He stares at the meat in front of him and wonders how it tastes like. His brain reminds him of the taste of dry cardboard and bunker oil and his skin crawls at the thought of his last experience when it comes to human gourmet food. But the expressions on other people, humans to be exact, prove otherwise as they happily ate the food Kyungsoo served at the restaurant he works in. He envies those humans. He too, wants to taste Kyungsoo’s cooking as a human and know how it’s like to savour the interesting clash of flavours brought by different ingredients, different spices. But in the past four months that they’ve been together, Jongin had to turn down every lunch offer Kyungsoo had made.

Kyungsoo reappears five minutes later carrying a supporting a large bowl of his famous kimchi spaghetti. He smiles at Jongin and served the food, causing the light in Jongin’s eyes to dim as the pile of food in his plate increases. “You’re so skinny, you need to eat more” Kyungsoo says when Jongin tried to point out that he has more than enough food in his plate. They eat silently at first, and then Kyungsoo starts to talk about his work and his crazy co-workers and how he copes with them on a daily basis. “...and Baek started fawning over this new employee named Chanyeol and yesterday he left me alone in the kitchen to bake the cookies, which was supposed to be his job by the way, so that he can flirt with the newbie manning the register!  And then...Jongin is something wrong?” Jongin didn’t expect that last bite to taste so disgusting and he automatically retched. Out of all the human food he had tasted so far, this one sets the record for being disgusting. He feels like his tongue had been rubbed raw and ran through sewage waste. He should’ve swallowed that piece of meat a little bit faster, that way, he wouldn’t be seeing the disappointed look Kyungsoo is throwing in his direction right now. He manages to fake a cough although he badly wants to vomit everything in his stomach. “Uhhh sorry” he says, and he conjures his best an apologetic expression.

“Do you want to have a glass of water?” Kyungsoo asks.

Jongin smiles wryly at Kyungsoo.”No, I’m fine.”

Dinner went on smoothly after that. Jongin fakes chewing his food and tries to keep his face devoid of negative expressions as Kyungsoo continues telling hilarious stories of his co-workers. Stories about how he learned how to cook. Stories about almost everything. Jongin listens and laughs while Kyungsoo rants on and on about his life. He gently smiles through Kyungsoo’s detailed explanations on why baking is all about accuracy and getting every measurement exact. He even frowns and even gently pats Kyungsoo’s back as the latter drones on and on about his frustrations in life. By the end of their meal however, Jongin still hasn’t said a thing about himself.

It’s not that he doesn’t want Kyungsoo to know him better. He does. But the possibility that Kyungsoo might avoid him once he discovers his true identity terrifies him. And even if Kyungsoo still accepts him no matter what he may be, the secret of what he is and what he becomes when he’s hungry is too much of a burden to put on Kyungsoo. He’s better off not knowing that he befriended, and even invited a ghoul in his home.

“Hey, can I use the comfort room?” Jongin excuses himself and Kyungsoo responds happily with instructions to the said room. “Down the hallway, first door on your left.” he grins as Jongin thanks him and turns to relieve himself. He makes sure that Jongin is out of earshot when he pulls out his phone to make a call.

“Hello this is Investigator Do Kyungsoo, head of the Seoul CCG. I would like to report a ghoul sighting.”

a/n: drabble written for a friend's birthday. I hope you liked it?

*CCG means Commission of Counter Ghoul